ANNUAL GENERAL REVIEW 2020 Virtual Annual General Meeting Tuesday, April 20, 2021

The London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® provides its Members with cutting-edge technology platforms, exceptional learning programs, collaborative global partners, and transparent engagement opportunities

Annual General Review 2020

VIRTUAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA

In this issue:

10:00 AM Welcome by Jack Lane (2021 LSTAR President) 2019 AGM Minutes 3 Welcome by Bill Madder (LSTAR CEO) Call to order by Jack Lane (LSTAR President) President’s Report 5 10:15 AM Approval of AGM Minutes (June 30, 2020) and adoption of:

CEO’s Report 11 2020 Annual General Review Audited Financial Statement - Year End December 31, 2020 RCC Report 17 Appointment of the Association’s 2021 Auditors and Solicitors Standing Committees 20 Resolution to amend Bylaws as approved by the Board of Directors Task Forces 27

10:45 AM Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) Update Advisory Groups 28 Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) Update Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation (ORCF) Update Social Committees 36 Lyn Coupland Award Presentation

Acknowleging the Outgoing 2020 Directors 2020 Sponsors 39 Recognition of Members who have passed away since last AGM

Presentation to and remarks of the 2020 President Blair Campbell 2020 Business Partners 40

12:00 PM Closing Remarks by 2021 LSTAR President Jack Lane and LSTAR Service Recognition 42 CEO Bill Madder

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MINUTES OF THE VIRTUAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

1. Welcome

Masters of Ceremonies, President Blair Campbell and Bill Madder, CEO welcomed everyone.

2. Call to Order and Introductions

President Blair Campbell called the business portion of the meeting to order and introduced LSTAR’s Legal Counsel, Stacey Bothwell, Siskinds Law Firm; and LSTAR’s Auditor, Glenn MacKinnon, Ford Keast. A quorum was declared.

3. Approval of Minutes

MOTION that the Minutes of the April 23, 2019 Annual General Meeting be approved. CARRIED

4. Adoption of 2019 Annual General Review

MOTION that the 2019 Annual General Review, which contains the 2019 Committee Reports, be adopted. CARRIED

5. Adoption of Audited Financial Statement for the Year Ended December 31, 2019 Following a report on the year-end statements by Auditor Glenn McKinnon, Ford Keast and Finance Chair, Richard Thyssen, the members ruled:

MOTION that the Statement of Revenue and Expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2019 be adopted. CARRIED

6. Appointment of 2019 Board Auditors and Solicitors

MOTION that Stacey Bothwell from Siskinds, the Law Firm, and Lou Radomsky act as our lawyers, and that Ford Keast remain as our auditors. CARRIED

7. Approval of Changes to Bylaws, Policies and MLS® Rules as Approved by the Board of Directors

Article 2 Membership, Section 2 Membership Conditions, 2.02 MOTION That the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® Bylaw be amended and approved to clarify Membership Conditions on Parking Licences. CARRIED

Article 6 Directors and Officers, Section 17 Limitation of Expenditure, 17.01, MOTION That the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® Bylaw be amended and approved to modernize the Limitation of Expenditure, reflecting current marketplace operational and capital costs. CARRIED

Article 10 Governing Rules, Section 3 Rules and Regulations/Multiple Listing Service® 3.01 MOTION That the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® Bylaw be amended and approved to move MLS® Rules

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and Regulations from Bylaws to Policies. CARRIED

MOTION That $2.00 per member per month be given to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation. CARRIED

MOTION That the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® adopt the NewCo MLS® Rules as presented. CARRIED

8. Greetings from CREA and OREA

Costa Poulopoulos, CREA Chair and Sean Morrison, OREA President, brought greetings respectively from CREA and OREA.

9. Lyn Coupland Award Presentation

The Lyn Coupland Outstanding Service Award was presented to Blair Campbell and John Geha.

10. Introduction of Retiring Directors

The outgoing Directors were introduced in recognition and appreciation for their efforts during their terms of office: Buffy Ellis, Nadia Habib, Jeff Nethercott, Lindsay Reid.

11. In Memoriam – Sharon Merkley, Vincent Bogdanski, Gregory Shore, Karen Dallas

12. Presentation to and Remarks of 2019 President Earl Taylor

Earl Taylor gave his address before being presented with his outgoing scrapbook and gifts.

13. Closing Remarks

President Blair Campbell and CEO Bill Madder gave their closing remarks and thanked the many sponsors of the event.

14. Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation Update (VIDEO)

15. Adjournment

The Chair adjourned the meeting.

Annual General Review 2020

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

THE 2020 REAL ESTATE MARKET Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 proved to be an exceptionally solid year for real estate across the entire jurisdiction of LSTAR. Last year, 9,976 homes exchanged hands, capped off by four consecutive months of record sales.

The year started strong in January and February, followed by sharp declines in the spring during the provincial wide lockdown. Local home sales began rebounding in June, once the government started easing COVID-19 restrictions. The pent up demand created a flurry in the marketplace for buyers and sellers, with new monthly sales records being achieved in July, September, October, November and December.

By August, LSTAR hit another significant milestone, with the average home sales Blair Campbell price coming in over $500,000 for the first time. The combination of low supply, 2020 LSTAR President historically low interest rates and the work-from-home phenomenon contributed to this extraordinary demand.

In 2020, the average sales price across the region was $487,501 up 19.4% from 2019. By geographic area, London South (which includes data from the west side of the city) was $504,616 up 21.5% from 2019. In London North, average home sales price was $573,332 up 17% compared to the previous year, while in London East, it was $389,692, an increase of 20.9%. In St. Thomas, it was $406,937 up 17.3% over 2019. There were a total of 12,201 home listings, down 6% from 2019. Inventory (called Active Listings) was down 20.2% from the previous year.

The following chart is based on data taken from the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) National Price Map for December 2020, providing a snapshot of how home prices in London and St. Thomas compared to other major Ontario and Canadian centres.

MLS® Home Price Index Benchmark Prices Across Canada - December 2020

* Area displaying average prices; all other areas displaying MLS® HPI benchmark prices.

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According to a research report by Altus Group, a total of $67,425 in ancillary expenditures is generated by the average housing transaction in Ontario over a period of three years from the date of purchase. Based on the total sales for 2018, that translates into generating potentially more than $660 million into the local economy over the next few years.

STRATEGIC PLANNING LSTAR entered unprecedented territory for the real estate profession in March, with the COVID-19 pandemic impacting all facets of daily life, and the lives of clients, business associates and loved ones. Public health guidelines and government restrictions forced REALTORS® across the country to enact changes to their business, utilizing virtual tools and technology.

Throughout the pandemic, the Association’s highest priority was always focused on protecting the safety and well-being of Members and staff. The LSTAR Board of Directors kept a close watch on COVID-19 updates, increasing the frequency of communication to help keep Members informed during an incredibly challenging time.

To support Members, the Directors recommended and approved a COVID-19 Leave of Absence, which allowed an LSTAR Member to take a leave of absence for a minimum of three months to a maximum of six months. Between April and July, the Directors also recommended and approved the temporary suspension of MLS® policies Section 8 – Re-Listing of Cancelled Listings (There shall be a $35 + HST fee where a cancelled listing is re-listed by the same Brokerage within 14 days of the cancellation date), and 8.05 and Section 6 – Listings 6.01 (If a property is not immediately available for showings, a listing shall not be accepted by the Association).

Since LSTAR maintained a strong fiscal position in 2020, the Finance Committee recommended and the Directors approved waiving the LSTAR membership assessment fee in December, as well as not increasing the COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) to the assessment fee, keeping the assessment fee unchanged for 2021.

There were many positive moments LSTAR achieved in 2020, despite the pandemic. In April, the Association welcomed a new CEO, Bill Madder. Madder previously served as CEO of the Association of Saskatchewan REALTORS® (ASR) for the last 19 years. Having been in the real estate industry since 1979, he has worked as a salesperson and broker/sales manager, served on association boards and committees and led the Brandon Real Estate Board as its Executive Officer. In 2016, the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) awarded Madder with the AE (Association Executive) Network Award of Excellence.

Prior to the COVID-19 provincial lockdown in the spring, LSTAR hosted the 2019 Don Smith Commercial Building Awards, recognizing the top commercial, industrial, multi-family and community buildings across the LSTAR region. Nearly 200 people attended the festivities at the Best Western Lamplighter in London, the largest turnout ever for the event.

In August, the new shared MLS® System launched through an upgraded Matrix platform, providing data access across 22 real estate boards in Ontario and offering more products and services.

At the LSTAR Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June, the Association announced the new Jackpot Lottery, an opportunity to give back to charity and a chance for LSTAR Members to enter and win lottery prizes. The Jackpot Lottery is scheduled to launch in January 2021, with the first prize draw to be awarded in March 2021.

Annual General Review 2020

In 2020, LSTAR’s 2019-2021 Strategic Plan continued to lay the framework for moving the Association into the future. The plan identifies targets, actions and measurements for its Strategic Priorities and identifies current, future and perceived risks to the business of real estate.

In this plan, LSTAR utilizes an inclusive, collaborative approach, maintaining an active transparent dashboard, highlighting key metrics for measurement, Association milestones and cost effective management. The dashboard is a fluid and flexible document, adaptable to the changes happening in the marketplace.

2019-2021 LSTAR’S STRATEGIC PLAN

The London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® provides our Members cutting edge technology platforms, exceptional learning programs, collaborative global partners, and transparent member engagement.

LSTAR is focused on the following strategic priority areas:

Finance: ◦ Ensure fiscal responsibility and sustainability of the LSTAR Budget. MLS® and Membership ◦ Deliver top notch technology programs, led by a state-of-the-art MLS® System, to support the livelihood of LSTAR Members. ◦ Solidify trust and respect with consumers, to elevate the REALTOR® brand across southwestern Ontario and beyond. Governance ◦ Focus on maintaining a culture that promotes and fosters professionalism and respect, and places the consumer’s needs and interests as the highest priority. ◦ Raise and sustain public awareness of the value of working with a REALTOR®. Education ◦ Make Education a major focus area and offer relevant and impactful content to enhance professional standards and business acumen of LSTAR Members. Community Engagement ◦ Raise and sustain awareness of the passion and dedication LSTAR REALTOR® Members have for community rein- vestment and volunteerism. ◦ Establish new partnerships and collaboration opportunities with regional influencers in the corporate world, small business and the real estate profession. Communications and Member Engagement ◦ Regularly engage LSTAR Members in Question of the Month and annual Member Survey and leverage feedback for future strategic planning. Political Affairs ◦ Sustain solid government relations program with London and St. Thomas MP, MPP and municipal leadership, advocating issues on behalf of Members. ◦ Enhance relationships with all levels of government to provide a regional voice for LSTAR REALTOR® Members on issues impacting the Association.

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POLITICAL AFFAIRS

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the past year was an interesting one for your Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Team. Your PAC team pivoted to virtual technology to engage with London and St. Thomas MPs, MPPs, and municipal leaders. One of the year’s highlights happened in October, with CREA naming LSTAR as the Outstanding Large Board PAC Team of the Year.

Prior to the COVID-19 provincial spring lockdown, the LSTAR PAC team held in-person meetings with area MPs, with discussion focused on creating new housing supply, increasing the home buyers’ tax credit, and reviewing the mortgage stress test. In the fall, LSTAR’s PAC team met virtually with area MPPs to discuss giving a land transfer tax holiday, granting a home renovation tax credit, and creating community opportunity zones.

On the municipal level, as one of the founding partners in Progress London, LSTAR continued to meet with London Mayor Ed Holder, and other groups, to discuss housing affordability and COVID-19 recovery efforts. For a more in-depth account of 2020 PAC activities, please see the PAC Report on page 29.

QUALITY OF LIFE Support to LSTAR’s communities was stronger than ever in 2020. More than $11,000 in emergency funds from the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation was distributed to five charities in the spring, and nearly $32,000 in grants were awarded to nine local shelter-based charities from LSTAR’s Business Partners Program, sponsorship, various fundraising events and the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation, of which LSTAR is a proud supporter. For more on our efforts to improve the Quality of Life in the community, please see the Community Engagement Committee’s report on page 32.

REALTOR® VALUE Another one of our Strategic Priorities is to promote REALTOR® Value in the marketplace. For many years now, OREA and CREA have been running high quality campaigns at the national and provincial level promoting the value of a REALTOR® with positive results. CREA and OREA have made resources available to our members to sustain awareness of this messaging, which has helped to enhance perception of REALTORS®.

FINAL THOUGHTS Wow, what a year! It would be an understatement to say 2020 was challenging and unprecedented. LSTAR Members showed tremendous grit and resolve, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your support throughout the year.

Very special thanks goes out to the 2020 LSTAR Board of Directors. We had candid discussions and engaged in constructive debates during the year and I appreciate your commitment, dedication and perseverance to lead LSTAR through the pandemic.

To LSTAR CEO Bill Madder, it was a pleasure working closely with you in your first year at the Association. I commend your leadership and passion during an extremely challenging time and for always being there to support the best interests of our Members.

And speaking of passion, I want to thank the entire team at LSTAR, for everything they do to support our

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members, each and every day. Thank you for the unwavering support you gave during the pandemic and the support you continue to give to help our Members succeed.

Thank you LSTAR staff:

● Chief Executive Officer Bill Madder

● Vice President of Administration & Strategic Engagement Joanne Shannon

● Vice President of Public Affairs & Diversity Chad Lovell

● Director of MLS® & Membership Kelly Blakely

● Director of Finance Csaba Hegedus

● Executve Assistant Kelly Bougie

● Manager of Digital Media Adina Chirita

● Manager of Special Projects Claire Dawson

● Accounting Clerk/IT Coordinator Christina Benkel

● Education Coordinator Karoline Churilla

● Membership and Education Coordinator Penny Miller

● MLS® and Membership Coordinator Meredith Murdock

● MLS® and Membership Coordinator Alison Maybery

● MLS® and Membership Coordinator Laura Maybery

● Reception Specialist Cindy Coffey

On a personal note, a special thank you to my wife and children, and to my real estate family at Accsell Realty. Thank you for all the support during my year as President.

Finally, to the nearly 2,000 members of LSTAR, THANK YOU. Through 2020, you found new ways to serve clients, as we managed the impacts of COVID-19. I sincerely appreciate each of you doing your part to keep our communities safe. Your Association has your back, and the past year has reinforced we can get through anything, when we work together. It’s a partnership and together, anything is possible. It’s the LSTAR way.

Blair Campbell, 2020 LSTAR President

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2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

● Blair Campbell, President

● Jack Lane, President-Elect

● Earl Taylor, Past President

● Randy Pawlowski, Vice-President

● Kathy Amess, Director

● Mike Jakupi, Commercial Director

● Betty Kallai, Director

● Dale Marsh, Director

● Adam Miller, Director

● Ann Smith, Director

● Yvonne Steer, St. Thomas Director

● Richard Thyssen, Director

● Barb Whitney, Director

Annual General Review 2020

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT

I am very excited to include my first report as your LSTAR CEO. It’s been said before, and I will reiterate what an unprecedented year it was for all of us. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND OPERATIONS The Board of Directors and LSTAR staff are committed to providing Members innovative technology platforms, exceptional learning opportunities, advocacy expertise and transparent member engagement to ultimately influence the business of real estate.

This vision is guided by the Association’s Strategic Plan and by the principles of running an efficient, scalable and nimble operation. A trusted real estate resource Bill Madder for Members as they support the community with real estate transactions, LSTAR LSTAR Chief Executive Officer is also passionate about strengthening the region through volunteerism and charitable activities with shelter-based and social justice organizations.

As of December 2020, LSTAR was made up of 1,937 REALTOR® Members. There were 171 active MLS® subscribers, 348 active Key subscribers, and 44 Appraisers. Despite the pandemic, LSTAR gained 30 new REALTOR® Members by the end of year.

It was quite a whirlwind for all of us in 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic dominating most of the year, the priority was focused on Member and staff safety and well-being, while ensuring the delivery of LSTAR’s programs and services.

LSTAR Office To protect the health and safety of Members and staff, LSTAR closed the Association office on March 16, following the guidelines set out by federal, provincial and local health agencies. Although the physical building location was not open, LSTAR staff continued to provide full services to members, including MLS®, membership, and accounting.

Customized Delivery Service One of the most popular services during the pandemic was LSTAR’s delivery service through Bob and Allyn Lamb. With office closings and other restrictions, regular routes and stops were adjusted and enhanced to further support Members’ needs.

Regional MLS® System In August, LSTAR migrated to a new regional MLS® System, sharing data with more than 20 real estate boards and associations across the province. Keeping the same general platform, Matrix, the enhanced system offered new services and functions, including Prospects, CloudAgent Suite, Instanet, and the Canadian Real Estate Association’s Home Price Index (HPI).

Part of the new MLS® System required square footage to be part of listing input. While a collective recommended method to measure is scheduled in 2021 by the regional group, Members were encouraged

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to leverage several existing resources, such as builder floor plans, self-measurement via the LBO (Listing Broker’s Office), or professional photography services that provide measurements, such as iGuide.

ITSO The shared regional MLS® group is now known as Information Technology Systems Ontario, ITSO. The name ITSO is official as of January 4th, 2021 and replaces the names NewCo and TIS.OR

The name was approved by the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, following recommendations by a regional Branding Task Force, approval by the shared MLS® Board of Directors and filing of a supplemental letters patent with the Ministry. Look out for the ITSO name and logo in all branding for the shared MLS®.

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT Education and Learning When the provincial state of emergency went into effect in March, LSTAR understood the need to pivot key service areas and one of the most critical was Education. Prior to the pandemic, the Association started planning to offer more online program options, which allowed LSTAR to deliver complimentary, value-added online classes in April.

Also during the pandemic, LSTAR launched a brand new weekly Webinar Series in May, as part of the Member Education program. Topics and speakers were focused on supporting Members through the business challenges of COVID-19, offering resources to help manage through government restrictions, public health guidelines and an uncertain marketplace.

In October, LSTAR reached out to Members for their feedback on the Association’s Education programs, to support the future development of LSTAR Education and Member learning. The LSTAR Education Survey was conducted through LSTAR’s partnership with Corporate Training Solutions (CTS) Fanshawe.

In 2020, a total of nine in-person REALTOR® Hall and online town hall events were held, with 712 attendees. In addition, 1,366 registrants attended 118 Computer Lab courses taught in person at the beginning of the year and then virtually between April and December.

Member Events With recent news of violent incidents happening to real estate professionals in Minnesota and Calgary, LSTAR hosted a REALTOR® Safety Town Hall in February, to help raise awareness of safety risks and best industry practices.

The event featured an engaging and informative presentation by London Police Crime Prevention Officer Cathy Fountain, as well as a number of local safety businesses.

Annual General Review 2020

In response to concerns with ShowingTime, LSTAR hosted a special Brokers Issues Advisory Group meeting in February, where LSTAR arranged for several senior leaders from ShowingTime to directly address some of the functional issues that Members had reported.

Although COVID-19 suspended in-person events in mid-March, LSTAR continued to keep Members engaged through ongoing virtual Town Hall meetings. The first virtual Town Hall kicked off in April, with more than 200 LSTAR Members in attendance, with several more Town Hall events happening throughout the year.

ONLINE COMMUNICATION ENGAGEMENT From a communications standpoint, 2020 was a year like no other.

E-Newsletters In March, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to better stay in touch with our valued Members, LSTAR started sending out weekly email updates to Members from the Association’s President. Called e-Prez, this e-newsletter was meant to provide safety guidelines from the local public health units, the municipal and provincial governments, as well as the COVID-19 relief measures taken by the Association.

The average rate of unique opens for this communication vehicle was 55.5% and its average rate of unique clickthroughs – 4.9%. The rate of unique opens measures the percentage of emails opened compared to the total number of sent emails. The clickthrough rate compares the number of people who clicked on a link within an email against the number of unique opens.

As mentioned previously, 2020 was also the year when the MLS® system of the Ontario Collective was amalgamated with that of the Ontario Regional Technology Information System, to form the Information Technology Systems of Ontario (ITSO) MLS®.

Because of this transition, numerous new products, features, and system changes had to be communicated to LSTAR Members. For these purposes, LSTAR used a specialized e-newsletter named e-Matrix, which garnered, on average, 51.8% unique opens per month. The average rate of unique clickthroughs for the same e-newsletter was 2.7%.

Moreover, this year we introduced an e-newsletter called e-Education to support a new Education Survey meant to gauge Members’ satisfaction with LSTAR’s Education Programs. This saw an average rate of unique opens of 44% and a unique clickthrough rate of 2.4%.

In 2020, the average rate of unique opens for our e-Bulletin, LSTAR’s monthly e-newsletter, was 50.8%, up 3.5% over 2019, while its average rate of unique clicks remained at 10.9%. Both these rates are above the industry averages. According to Constant Contact, as of December 2020, the average rates for Civic/Social Memberships (e.g. associations, chambers, clubs) were 14.22% for unique opens, respectively 8.74% for unique clicks.

The average rates for the rest of LSTAR’s other e-newsletters were as follows:

● e-Break – 54.5% unique opens and 3.5% unique clicks;

● e-Stats – 50.7% unique opens and 4.5% unique clicks;

● e-Broker Biz-Buzz – 49.9% unique opens and 3.7% unique clicks;

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● e-Election – 45% unique opens and 1.9% unique clicks;

● e-Admin – 37.8% unique opens and 3% unique clicks.

Public Web Site According to Google Analytics, between January 1 and December 31, 2020, www.lstar.ca had 33,788 users, up 22.8% over 2019. The site garnered 106,370 page views, in a total of 54,533 sessions. Both these values are significantly higher than in 2019 – by 18.05% and 25.59% respectively. The average session duration was one minute and 48 seconds, while the average number of pages viewed per session was 2.

84.3% of the traffic to the web site was generated by new visitors and 15.7% by returning visitors.The new visitors spent on average one minute and 23 seconds per session and returning visitors – two minutes and 28 seconds.

59.16% of the sessions were generated by Google searches, 23.51% came from direct links, 13.8% from various referral web sites, 3.49% from social platforms, and 0.04% from email.

87.18% of users were located in Canada and 5.98% in the United States. The rest of the visitors are located in other countries, such as: China (1.50%); Germany (0.97%); Japan (0.39%); India (0.33%); Philippines (0.27%), United Kingdom (0.26%), and United Arab Emirates (0.25%).

Out of the 33,788 users, 19,693 (57.96%) accessed the site via desktop, 12,848 (37.8%) via mobile and 1,438 (4.23%) via tablet. The visitors who accessed the site from their desktop spent the most time on LSTAR.ca – on average two minutes and 6 seconds per session. For mobile, the average duration per session was one minute and 15 seconds, and for tablet, two minutes.

Out of the 106,370 page views, most were garnered by the home page of the web site. That page had 26,543 views. The second most visited page was the ‘Market Updates’ page (http://www.lstar.ca/market-updates), followed by the ‘News’ pages.

Social Media Facebook Public Page On January 1, 2020, our Facebook Page had 1,932 followers and, as of December 31st, 2020, the number of our Facebook followers had grown to 2,069. This means that, in 2020, we gained 137 new Facebook followers.

The organic (unpaid) reach of our Facebook Page was at its highest on July 6, 2020. At that time, our Facebook Page reached 4,800 people. That day we posted a chart showing the June weekly home sales between 2016 and 2020.

However, the most engaging post of 2020 was the announcement regarding the appointment of the new CEO of LSTAR, which garnered 325 likes and reactions, as well as 513 comments.

This year, the most-watched video of LSTAR on Facebook was LSTAR President’s Statistical Report for June, which garnered 644 views on this platform.

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Facebook Closed Group As of December 31st, 2020, the closed member-only group had 955 members, 96 more than at the end of December 2019.

Twitter On Twitter, we started the year with 2,198 followers and ended it with 2,232. In 2020, our tweets earned 195,600 impressions, 744 link clicks, 513 retweets, and 956 likes.

Our most engaging day on Twitter was June 30, when we tweeted about our first-ever Annual General Meeting and the recipients of the “Lyn Coupland” Award.

LinkedIn In 2020 we gained 201 new followers on LinkedIn. At the end of the year we had 504 followers.

2020 VIDEOS In 2020, LSTAR produced eleven videos in-house and outsourced an additional six videos. This year the

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number of in-house videos was lower because of the physical distancing rules due to COVID-19.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I am very happy to have joined LSTAR in 2020. Despite COVID-19, there is a lot for the Association to be proud of.

One of the reasons I was so interested in this position was the great strength of LSTAR. Our organizational strength, with outstanding directors and staff, is remarkable. Our financial strength, with a very strong balance sheet and a growing membership that continues to inch closer to that 2000 Member milestone, is enviable. We also have a very strong reputation, with a great deal of well-deserved respect from our peers across the country as well as locally.

LSTAR continues to be a thought leader across the region by embracing new technologies, establishing new partnerships and delivering a high quality customer service experience.

These strengths have helped us not only survive but thrive during this past year. They put us in great shape to work through whatever comes at us in the next few months and into the future.

Thank you to the LSTAR Board of Directors and the Staff as well as to all our members for your resilience, hard work and dedication in such an unprecedented year. I am confident and optimistic about the journey ahead.

Bill Madder Chief Executive Officer

Annual General Review 2020

REGIONAL COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE

The Regional Commercial Committee (RCC) of the London and St. CHAIR Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR) is committed to assisting Mike Jakupi its members to succeed in commercial real estate and to monitor all issues affecting commercial real estate. The Committee’s mandate is to: MEMBERS ● Establish and foster professional expertise through educational Sam Abouzeid activities and programs; Knute Dohnberg ● Formulate recommendations to the Board of Directors on matters of Lisa Lansink public policy involving commercial real estate issues; and Rhema Orech Larin Shouldice ● Foster cooperation in the exchange of information among Members of LSTAR. Rick Spencer Bryan VanAcker In pursuing its mandate, the committee recognizes that the LSTAR Board of Directors has the primary responsibility and authority to STAFF LIAISONS manage the Association’s affairs and agrees to conduct its activities in Bill Madder such a way as to avoid conflict or duplication. Joanne Shannon At the end of 2020, the Membership of the RCC numbered 68. Chad Lovell

DON SMITH COMMERCIAL BUILDING AWARDS LSTAR honoured the recipients of the 2019 Don Smith Commercial Building Awards on March 4, 2020 at the Best Western Plus Lamplighter Inn and Conference Centre in London, Ontario.

The biannual reception and awards ceremony recognizes the top commercial, industrial, multi-family and community buildings across the LSTAR region. The program was named after the late Don Smith, legendary co-founder of EllisDon, a world-renowned construction company with deep roots in London, Ontario. The awards were established in 2009 to inspire the architectural and construction community to honour commercial building excellence across the region.

Categories include: Commercial (retail and office), Industrial, Multi-family and Institutional (community).

A judging panel evaluates the projects, with the following criteria:

● Building, development or renovation located within LSTAR’s jurisdiction

● Design and innovation

● Addresses a specific developmental need within the

community

● Sensitive to the environment

● Completed between August 1, 2017 and July 31, 2019

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Congratulations to the 2019 recipients:

● Institutional Education – Sir Arthur Currie Public School, London (Architect/ Designer: Cornerstone Architecture Incorporated; Developer/Owner: Thames Valley District School Board; General Contractor: K & L Construction)

● Institutional Education Post- Secondary – Amit Chakma Engineering Building, Western University, London (Architect/Designer: Perkins & Will in association with Cornerstone Architecture Inc.; Developer/Owner: Western University; General Contractor: Norlon Builders)

● Institutional Repurpose – Fanshawe College, School of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, London (Architect/Designer: Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.; Developer/Owner: Fanshawe College; General Contractor: EllisDon Corporation)

● Institutional Healthcare – St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital, North Building, St. Thomas (Architect/Designer: Montgomery-Sisam and Kahler-Slater; Developer/Owner: St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital; General Contractor: EllisDon Corporation)

● Institutional Renovation – Museum London, Centre at the Forks, London (Architect/Designer: Nicholson Sheffield Architects Inc.; Developer/Owner: Museum London; General Contractor: Aveiro Constructors Limited)

● Commercial New – Domus Developments Office Building, London (Architect/Designer: Agar Architect; Developer/Owner: Domus Developments; General Contractor: Domus Developments)

● Commercial Recreational – Boler Mountain Chalet, London (Architect/Designer: architects Tillman Ruth Robinson Inc.; Developer/Owner: Boler Mountain; General Contractor: Agri-Urban Buildings Inc.)

● Commercial Renovation – Info-Tech Research Group, London (Architect/Designer: Nicholson Sheffield Architects; Developer/Owner: Info-Tech Research Group; General Contractor: Trigon Construction Ltd.)

● Commercial Green – 1305 Riverbend Road, London (Architect/Designer: Architects Tillman Ruth

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Robinson Inc.; Developer/Owner: Sifton Properties Limited; General Contractor: D. Grant Construction Limited)

● Multi Family Green – West 5 Townhomes, London (Architect/Designer: Turner Fleischer Architects; Developer/Owner: Sifton Properties Limited)

● Multi Family – Azure, London (Architect/Designer: Hanna, Ghobrial & Associates Ltd.; Developer/Owner: The Tricar Group; General Contractor: The Tricar Group)

● Industrial – Dancor Phase III, London (Architect/Designer: Architectural Design Co. Inc.; Developer/ Owner: Dancor Green Valley Inc.; General Contractor: Dancor Green Valley Inc.)

● Legacy Award Public Institution – Western University, University College Renovations, London (Architect: Architect Tillmann Ruth Robinson Inc.; Developer/Owner: Western University; General Contractor: Tonda Construction Limited)

The panel of judges were:

● Ted Aziz, Senior Engineer, Hastings & Aziz Consulting Engineers;

● Lynne Cram, Community Board Member;

● Sean Dyke, CEO, St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation (St. Thomas EDC);

● Joe Ruscitti, Editor-in-Chief, The London Free Press

The committee held meetings in June and August. With the migration to the regional MLS®, the committee discussed recommendations to the new Commercial Forms.

The group also discussed the impacts of COVID-19 on commercial real estate. There were concerns for restaurants and fitness establishments, while the committee noted industrial real estate was performing solid in the marketplace.

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STANDING COMMITEES

EXECUTIVE CHAIR The mandate of the Executive Committee is to: Jack Lane ● Recommend all Board of Director committees and task forces to MEMBERS the Board of Directors for approval; Blair Campbell ● Evaluate the CEO and establish the CEO’s compensation on an Earl Taylor annual basis (as required by CREA’s Minimum Standards); Randy Pawlowski Bill Madder ● Represent the Association as appointed Voting Delegates at CREA and OREA Conferences.

STAFF LIAISONS The Committee may also perform other such duties as required and as Joanne Shannon requested by the Board of Directors. Chad Lovell Every year, the Executive Committee, in collaboration with the LSTAR Board of Directors, is tasked with selecting one or more worthy individuals for the Lyn Coupland Outstanding Service Award. This award recognizes those whose service to the Association the Committee deems to be above and beyond the call of duty to receive LSTAR’s most prestigious honour. The Committee is asked every year, but that does not mean it’s obliged to select a recipient every year – only if someone is judged to be truly worthy of the honour.

In 2020, the Executive Committee honoured two individuals to receive the Lyn Coupland Outstanding Service Award. The recipients were Blair Campbell and John Geha.

Annual General Review 2020

FINANCE The mandate of the Finance Committee is to develop and implement CHAIR an annual work plan to review, monitor and provide guidance and/ Richard Thyssen or recommendations to the Board of Directors, related to the financial stewardship of LSTAR. MEMBERS Blair Campbell Responsibilities include: Troy Couwenberghs Mark Russell ● Ensure the integrity of the corporation’s financial affairs; Warren Shantz ● Develop and seek approval by the Board of Directors for financial Earl Taylor policies; Gerry Weir Bill Madder ● Review and recommend the corporation’s operating and capital budgets; Ron Murdoch (Ford Keast)

● Review and recommend any capital plan for facilities and equipment; STAFF LIAISONS ● Oversee the performance of the investment manager and Joanne Shannon investments; Csaba Hegedus ● Review and submit financial statements and reports to the Board of Directors on a minimum quarterly basis; and

● Review the investment policy and all investments by LSTAR.

The Finance Committee recommended and the Directors approved increasing the non-LSTAR member Key Box Access Fee from $45 per month to $48 per month.

The Finance Committee recommended and the Board of Directors approved to waive the LSTAR membership assessment fee in December 2020 for all members. No dues assessment were charged to any member accounts for the month of December, with the dues assessment set to resume in January 2021.

In addition, the Finance Committee recommended and the Board of Directors approved no COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) increase to the LSTAR monthly assessment fee. The current LSTAR monthly assessment fee will remain unchanged, staying at $152.75 plus HST.

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GOVERNANCE CHAIR The mandate of the Governance Committee is to monitor all Earl Taylor governance issues and provide recommendations to the Board of Directors. The committee’s responsibilities are to review, provide MEMBERS guidance and/or recommend to the Board, governance issues to Blair Campbell include but not limited to: Laura Leyser Richard Thyssen ● Stakeholder Relationship Development; Carl Vandergoot ● Board of Directors Structure; Peter White ● Committees/Task Forces/Advisory Groups of the Board of Directors; Bill Madder Jack Lane (Observer) ● Association Governing Principles;

● Board of Directors Development and Orientation; STAFF LIAISONS Joanne Shannon ● Board of Directors Evaluation and Accountability; Chad Lovell ● Association Bylaws and General Policy; and

● General Membership Meeting issues.

In 2020, the Governance Committee continued the ongoing review of the LSTAR Bylaws. A working group of the committee met several times to discuss proposed changes to Article 6, related to the composition of the LSTAR Board of Directors.

The Governance Committee recommended and the Directors approved two Bylaw changes, which the LSTAR Membership approved at LSTAR’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 30, 2020.

The Members approved the following Bylaw changes:

● Article 2 Membership, Section 2 Membership Conditions, 2.02 – That the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® Bylaw be amended and approved to clarify Membership Conditions on Parking Licences.

● Article 6 Directors and Officers, Section 17 Limitation of Expenditure, 17.01 – That the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® Bylaw be amended and approved to modernize the Limitation of Expenditure, reflecting current marketplace operational and capital costs.

The Governance Committee also recommended and the Directors approved the following related to General Policies, Awards, Certificates, Honourariums and Presentations:

Section 1, General – The President-Elect will receive $500.00 towards expenses each year.

be changed to read:

Section 4, President Elect’s Honourarium – Starting January 2021, the President Elect will receive a

Annual General Review 2020

$3,000 honourarium during their term as President Elect and that this sum is paid quarterly at the end of each quarter during their term. In addition, the President Elect will not be charged the monthly assessment fee during their term as President Elect.

Section 5, President’s Honourarium – Each President will receive a $15,000.00 honorarium during their year as President and that this sum is paid quarterly at the end of each quarter during the term of their Presidency. Such honorarium can be used for either a “cash advance” or “conference(s)” and shall be at the discretion of the President concerned to determine whether he/she wants a “cash advance” or “conference(s)” or both.

be changed to read:

The President will receive a $15,000.00 honourarium during their term as President and that this sum is paid quarterly at the end of each quarter during their term. In addition, the President will not be charged the monthly assessment fee during their term as President.

The Governance Committee recommended and the Directors approved adding the following policy:

Section 6, Past President’s Honourarium – The Past President will not be charged the monthly assessment fee during their term as Past President, effective January 1, 2021.

ARBITRATION The mandate of the Arbitration Committee is to arbitrate disputes over commissions between Firms as defined in Article 8 of LSTAR’s Bylaws. The Committee is responsible to review all pertinent material provided to CHAIR make an informed, unbiased decision as defined in Article 8 of LSTAR’s Randy Pawlowski Bylaws.

In 2020, there were a total of six Arbitration Claims. Three were resolved MEMBERS through conciliation, and three are currently in progress. Buffy Ellis Mark Laskey Mike Marienwald Peter Meyer Michelle Orsini Nate Parsons Andy Sheridan Carl Vandergoot

STAFF LIAISONS Joanne Shannon

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PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS CHAIR The mandate of the Professional Standards Committee is to receive Kevin Barry formal complaints of alleged breach of any LSTAR Bylaws, General Policies, MLS® Rules and Regulations or MLS® Policies as defined in MEMBERS Article 9 of LSTAR’s Bylaws. Responsibilities are: Tim Estabrooks Gib Heggtveit ● Either on its own initiative or upon receipt of a written complaint Mark Hornyak from any source whatsoever, and after complying with the provisions of Section 4 of this Article 9, proceed to research the conduct of Daniel Kiekens any Member of the Association and proceed to take any action Justin Konikow as prescribed in this Article or in furtherance of its mandate and Lynda Lalich obligations as set out in this Article 9; and Marla Marnoch ● At any time after having received a complaint or having Dale Marsh proceeded on its own initiative, the Committee may in its sole and Michelle Orsini absolute discretion decide that no further action should be taken in respect of the matter under research and such decision shall not be Pat Pope subject to review or Appeal as defined Article 9 of LSTAR’s Bylaws. June Power Andy Sheridan Twenty-two formal complaints were received in writing over the Yvonne Steer course of 2020 and in addition, 11 Staff Audits were forwarded to the committee. Twenty-four complaints and Staff Audits were resolved, Robin Tiller none were referred to the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), and nine are currently in progress. The Committee levied fines in 18 cases STAFF LIAISONS and referred six cases to the Discipline Committee. The committee Joanne Shannon also recommended and the Directors approved Members who commit Kelly Blakely the same professional standards infraction a fourth time within the calendar year be sent to the Discipline Committee.

CHAIR Maureen O’Halloran DISCIPLINE Upon referral of a matter by the Professional Standards Committee, MEMBERS the mandate of the Discipline Committee is to hold a Hearing to Paula Bodkin determine if the Respondent has engaged in the conduct as set out in Blair Campbell the Referral Document and to discipline any Member if so determined Jack Lane as defined in Article 9 of LSTAR’s Bylaws. Rika Orendorff In 2020, there were no discipline hearings. Ann Smith Harry Tugender Barb Whitney

STAFF LIAISONS Joanne Shannon Kelly Blakely

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MLS® PLATFORM COMMITTEE CHAIR The mandate of the MLS® Platform Committee is to monitor all issues affecting current technology by fostering cooperation in the exchange Dale Marsh of information data and applications as a resource to the Board of Directors. MEMBERS Kathy Amess In 2019, the Governors of the Ontario Collective, a regional group Buffy Ellis providing MLS® System services to 12 real estate associations including LSTAR, and the Directors of the Ontario Regional Technology Steve Francis & Information Systems Inc., a regional group of 10 real estate Kris Gear associations, announced a Transition Agreement to blend their two Bonita Hannon separate systems into one common shared regional MLS® System. Justin Konikow “NewCo” was born. Matt Santagapita Ainslee Tracey The new system will serve more than 13,000 REALTORS®, with MLS® access to 21 associations across Ontario and include a number of new NewCo Governor features to support Members, requiring all participating boards and associations to abide by NewCo’s MLS® Rules and Regulations. STAFF LIAISONS Joanne Shannon The MLS® Platform Committee reviewed and discussed NewCo’s MLS® Rules and Regulations. They recommended and the Directors approved adopting the NewCo MLS® Rules and Regulations as presented. The Membership approved adopting these rules and regulations at the LSTAR AGM in June.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR The mandate of the Education Committee is to engage and inform Adam Miller LSTAR Members and partners by facilitating and collaborating their access to education and information to enhance their ability to serve the general community. Responsibilities include: MEMBERS Kathy Amess ● Work with staff in establishing a curriculum that meets the needs of Bonita Hannon the Members and general community; Gib Heggtveit ● Support LSTAR strategic initiatives with collaborative educational Lynn Kongkham institutions (e.g. Fanshawe College and Western University); and Michelle Orsini ● Act as an ambassador to champion Member and public engagement. Christy Ruth Karen Smylie-Smith In mid-March, the COVID-19 pandemic forced LSTAR to close its Robin Tiller building to the public and postpone in-person classes, including Candace Miller (Fanshawe) Computer Lab courses, OREA licensing exams and special speaking events in LSTAR’s REALTOR® Hall spaces. Within a few weeks, all LSTAR learning opportunities transitioned to a virtual format through STAFF LIAISONS Zoom. To support Members through the early phases of the pandemic, Bill Madder the Association offered all online classes complimentary and temporarily Karoline Churilla suspended the $25.00 No Show Fee.

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To further support Members and maximize online engagement, LSTAR launched a special Webinar Series in May. Focused on professional development, mental health and managing through the uncertainty of COVID-19, the Webinar Series was complimentary to LSTAR Members.

The Committee worked with Corporate Training Solutions (CTS) Fanshawe to develop a Member Education Survey, seeking feedback on LSTAR’s learning programs to support future offerings. The survey was sent out to Members in October.

Annual General Review 2020

TASK FORCES

COMPLIANCE TASK FORCE

In 2018, the Board of Directors approved combining the Lock Box Task MEMBERS Force and the Compliance Task Force to manage lock box and claw Ann Smith back commission issues. Barb Whitney

Claw backs have become more common in MLS® listings and members STAFF LIAISONS have asked for clarification on where information should be shared Kelly Blakely with other REALTORS®. CREA has specific rules applied to listings on REALTOR.ca – only comments that refer to the description of the property are allowed to be noted in the Internet (Public) Remarks. All other pertinent information must be added to the REALTOR® Remarks.

In 2020, Members reported issues with inactive lock boxes across multiple properties in the region. The Directors recommended and approved striking a Lock Box Task Force to develop an action plan to resolve the issues. The group recommended and the Directors approved the following new policy, related to lock boxes:

● It is the responsibility of the member (i.e. Listing Salesperson/Broker) to remove the lock box from the property within five business days from closing or termination of the listing. Failure to remove the lock box will result in the member being sent to the Professional Standards Committee and a fine may be levied.

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ADVISORY GROUPS

BROKERS ISSUES ADVISORY GROUP CHAIR The mandate of the Brokers Issues Advisory Group is twofold: Kathy Amess

● To provide a peer forum at which brokerage and real estate industry MEMBERS issues might be identified, vetted, discussed and debated. Blair Campbell Vito Campanale ● To make recommendations to the Board of Directors (or appropriate Committees, Advisory Groups or Task Forces) on issues that have Sue Fulop the potential to impact real estate brokerages and/or the real estate Glen Gordon industry and, through this mechanism, to alert organized real estate at the provincial and national levels to issues impacting brokers. Glenda James Kris Kewley In February, the group met to discuss concerns and reported issues with Justin Konikow ShowingTime. Three senior leaders from ShowingTime attended the Jack Lane meeting to directly address Members’ concerns, and offered workaround Peter Meyer solutions. Michelle O’Brien The group met several other times throughout the year to discuss the Nate Parsons COVID-19 impacts to the profession, updates to the new shared regional Doug Pedlar MLS® System, new MLS® Rules and Regulations, online education Joe Pinheiro opportunities, and claw back policies. Rachael Polakovic Costa Poulopoulos Gary Robinson Andy Sheridan Bruce Sworik Earl Taylor Richard Thyssen Carl Vandergoot Gerry Weir

STAFF LIAISONS Bill Madder Kelly Blakely Joanne Shannon Chad Lovell

Annual General Review 2020

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS CHAIR Earl Taylor The mandate of the Political Affairs Committee (or PAC Team) is to maintain an active and open channel of grassroots communication with LSTAR MPs, MPPs and municipal leaders concerning housing, MEMBERS economic and REALTOR® issues. REALTOR® issues are defined as Ann DeBono issues that have a far-reaching impact on Members of organized real Buffy Ellis estate, which have significant negative or positive impact either on Jack Lane a sizeable group of Members or property owners, or housing issues, Raeanne Muir especially housing affordability issues. The PAC Team also seeks to Bill Madder enhance awareness of and build support for OREA and CREA positions within the Association and the greater community. LSTAR’s PAC Team Blair Campbell (Ex-Officio) is empowered to advise the Board of Directors on political affairs at the municipal, provincial and national levels. STAFF LIAISONS Chad Lovell

MP Engagement CONSTITUENCY MEETINGS Prior to the first provincial COVID-19 lockdown, LSTAR met with its four area MPs at their constituency offices in late February and early March, as part of CREA’s PAC at Home Days. LSTAR continued to strengthen relations with its federal leaders, discussing marketplace trends and housing issues. Meetings were held with MP Peter Fragiskatos, London North Centre; MP Lindsay Mathyssen, London-Fanshawe; MP Kate Young, London West; and MP Karen Vecchio, Elgin-Middlesex-London.

The meetings focused on sharing the following recommendations:

● Placing conditions on federal infrastructure funding to encourage the creation of new housing supply.

● Increasing the Home Buyers’ Tax Credit to $2,500 to better reflect current closing costs associated with home purchases.

● Reviewing the mortgage stress test to ensure the realities of local real estate markets are taken into consideration and remove the test from mortgage renewals.

With the arrival of new LSTAR CEO Bill Madder in April, LSTAR also scheduled virtual meetings with each MP to introduce Madder, and discuss COVID-19 relief measures and community impacts. These meetings took place between May and July.

In October, CREA hosted its annual PAC Days event in a virtual format, and LSTAR was able to connect with two MPs, MP Karen Vecchio, Elgin-Middlesex-London; and MP Lindsay Mathyssen, London-Fanshawe. The discussion focused on creating homes across the housing spectrum; emphasizing housing’s place in infrastructure projects; and implementing a green renovation program.

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During the October PAC Days event, CREA honoured LSTAR with the 2020 Outstanding PAC Team Award, Large Board. The award recognizes REALTOR® contributions to advancing federal policies that bring Canadians closer to home.

MPP Engagement Fall MPP Meetings Members of LSTAR’s PAC team had productive meetings with several London and St. Thomas Members of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in September. LSTAR met with MPP Terence Kernaghan, London North Centre; and MPP Jeff Yurek, Elgin-Middlesex-London.

The virtual meetings focused on discussing the following recommendations, to help drive Ontario’s economy through the pandemic:

● Implementing a land transfer tax holiday.

● Giving a home renovation tax credit.

● Creating community opportunity zones.

Municipal In 2020, LSTAR continued to be an active voice in Progress London, a group of influential stakeholder organizations focused on advocating for job creation and economic growth by providing a balanced perspective on its benefits to the community. With the impacts of COVID-19 to the business community, LSTAR joined Progress London in advocating the federal and provincial finance ministers to provide emergency operating supports to the region.

In April, the City of London invited LSTAR to be part of the Mayor’s Economic Impact and Recovery Task Force, to discuss impacts of the pandemic and offer solutions to help in the recovery efforts. In the fall, LSTAR also participated in meetings with the London Community Recovery Network, to discuss short and long term strategies through the pandemic. This included identifying city-wide recovery ideas and developing a community recovery plan for a strong, resilient London.

LSTAR also engaged with the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation (STEDC) in several virtual events during the summer. In June, LSTAR attended a meeting that featured St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston and STEDC CEO Sean Dyke, discussing the pandemic and ongoing recovery efforts.

The Association continues to be represented on the City of London’s Housing Advisory Committee, as well as the London Homeless Coalition and the St. Thomas Housing and Homelessness Action Group, part of the Elgin-St. Thomas United Way Community Matters initiative.

Annual General Review 2020

QUALITY OF LIFE CHAIR ‘Quality of Life’ (QOL) is both a philosophy and a valuable analytical Christine Cecchetto tool, helping to identify how LSTAR as an Association, or its Members as individuals, can improve or enhance the social, physical or economic environments of the communities we passionately serve. It serves as MEMBERS a filter, which can be used to determine whether a political issue is, in Kevin Barry fact, a REALTOR® issue. This is useful, since, in the past, REALTOR® Betty Kallai issues have been dictated either by self-interest – pro-business, pro- Dale Marsh REALTOR®, or pro-development – or by our constituents – first-time buyers, property owners, landlords, etc. There was no mechanism to Adam Miller determine social policy, i.e., the greater good. Embracing QOL makes Brandi O’Dwyer the communities where we live our constituents and in turn, giving the Tracey Peifer Association that mechanism. It has considerable implications for both Mirella Shreve LSTAR’s Government Relations initiatives and community engagement Yvonne Steer activities. Trevor Tyson ® Lore Wainwright (Pillar Non- Ontario REALTORS Care Foundation profit Network) LSTAR continued to honour its pledge to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Jason Dearing (Libro Credit Foundation’s Every REALTOR® Campaign in the amount of $1.00 per Union) member/per month in 2020. The Foundation’s mission is, “to advance the Foundation’s philanthropy by enabling REALTOR® Members and real estate boards to practice effective and ethical fundraising in support of shelter-related causes in Ontario.” STAFF LIAISONS Bill Madder The Foundation defines shelter as “a refuge, haven or protection that Claire Dawson provides or improves quality of life from hunger, the elements, physical/ Joanne Shannon psychological abuse, disabilities and illness.” Chad Lovell In 2020, the Foundation provided more than $1 million in grants to shelter-based organizations across Ontario communities. LSTAR’s support of the Foundation has deep historical roots. In its earliest days LSTAR Member Peter Whatmore chaired it. In 2014, LSTAR Past President Barb Whitney served as the Foundation’s Western Ontario Director, then 2015 President-Elect, and 2016 President. In 2019, LSTAR Member Heather Arnott was named the Foundation’s Western Ontario Director.

QUALITY OF LIFE PRINCIPLES ◦ Principle 1: Ensuring Economic Vitality ◦ Principle 2: Providing Housing Opportunities ◦ Principle 3: Preserving Our Environment ◦ Principle 4: Protecting Home Owners ◦ Principle 5: Building Better Communities

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Community Engagement Committee LSTAR’s Community Engagement Committee is responsible for:

● Building collaborative relationships with key influencers.

● Raising the awareness of LSTAR.

● Building the LSTAR brand.

● Advancing key initiatives within Social Responsibilities including but not limited to the charitable giving (Application and beneficiaries as defined by the Ontario REALTORS Care®Foundation).

The Community Engagement Committee recommended and the Board approved that $2.00 per member per month be given to the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation. The LSTAR Membership approved this motion at the LSTAR AGM in June.

With local charities needing more support during the pandemic, the committee recommended and the Directors approved providing more than $11,000 in emergency grants to five organizations across the region: Meals on Wheels London; London Foodbank; St. Thomas Foodbank; Strathroy Foodbank; and Mission Services of London. The grants were made possible from OREA through the REALTORS Care® Foundation.

In 2020, the committee presented more than $31,000 to nine local organizations. They were Anova, Hockey Helps the Homeless, Inn Out of the Cold St. Thomas Elgin, Investing in Children, London Affordable Housing Foundation, Mission Services of London, St. Joseph’s Hospice, St. Thomas Elgin Second Stage Housing, and Women’s Rural Resources Centre of Strathroy and Area.

The grants come from LSTAR’s Business Partners Program, sponsorship, various fundraising events and the Ontario REALTORS Care® Foundation, of which LSTAR is a proud supporter.

QUALITY OF LIFE AWARD

The LSTAR Quality of Life Award recognizes and honours outstanding contributions to the community in accordance with one or more of the five Quality of Life Principles championed by LSTAR, OREA and CREA. Nominations are sought from the Membership at large, but candidates may also be named by the Community Engagement Committee, which will then recommend the winners to the LSTAR Board of Directors. The Award is not necessarily an annual one. It is given when a recipient is deemed worthy of recognition. At the time the Award is announced – at LSTAR’s Annual General Meeting (which takes place the following year) – a donation of $200 is made to the recipient’s charity of choice in their name, the recipient receives a plaque and their charitable activities are showcased across all LSTAR media. The Award was not given out in 2020.

Annual General Review 2020

Charitable Giving As of the end of 2020 and since 1992, LSTAR has given the following grants to these worthy organizations.

Beneficiary 2020 Amount at Year End Mission Services of London $343,994 Anova $11,950 Grace Café $6,000 Unity Project $113,821 VAWSEC $61,574 Women’s Community House $33,883 All Our Sisters Conference Bursaries $2,000 Hockey Helps the Homeless $41,450 London Affordable Housing Foundation $13,950 Youth Opportunities Unlimited $128,861 Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre $84,372 London Housing Registry $6,000 Investing in Children $19,325 St. Joseph’s Hospice $56,950 London Health Sciences Foundation Adult Eating Disorders Clinic $50,000 Meals on Wheels London $17,312 Inn Out of the Cold Elgin $7,950 Women’s Rural Resources Centre of Strathroy and Area $5,500 St. Thomas Elgin Second Stage Housing $3,950 London Food Bank $7,012 St. Thomas Food Bank $2,312 Strathroy Food Bank $2,312 TOTAL $1,020,478

Other Activities and Partnerships More than 125 REALTORS® came out to participate in the 2020 Christmas Kettle Drive Campaign across London and St. Thomas. With the challenges of COVID-19, LSTAR Members helped support The Salvation Army in fundraising, before provincial restrictions caused the campaign to end earlier than scheduled.

LSTAR also continued to partner with the Canadian Blood Services as a Partner for Life.

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PARTNER FOR LIFE: CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES In 2012, LSTAR joined over 580 partner companies, including a number of our fellow real estate associations, in becoming a Partner for Life with the Canadian Blood Services. Partners for Life is a nationwide program designed for corporate and community organizations. Did you know that it can take up to 50 donors to help a car accident victim and up to eight donors a week to help someone with leukemia? That’s a lot of blood! And the demand for blood and blood products of all blood types just keeps growing. In fact, about 500,000 more Canadians are needed to become donors to meet the demand. Help save lives. Join our team. To register, take the following steps. Please note, if you are older than 61, you will need a form completed by your doctor to register. You can obtain this form by calling 1-888-2-DONATE.

◦ Register using our (Partners for Life) PFL ID: LSTA013463. ◦ If you are a new donor, create an account or, if you already have a donor account, enter your username and pass- word to log in. ◦ Select ‘PFL organizations’ from the menu, add your PFL ID and select ‘join the team.’ The PFL ID is used to link all LSTAR team’s donations to our organization. Please include this unique PFL ID when registering to ensure all LSTAR team’s donations get counted towards our pledge goal. Maybe you already donate regularly. Maybe this is your first time. It doesn’t matter. By registering just this once, each donation you make – wherever you make it – will automatically be attributed to LSTAR’s Partners for Life team from that point on. REALTORS® give back to the community by giving the gift of life.

CHAIR SCHOLARSHIP Daniela Schmidt The Scholarship Advisory Group is responsible for selecting the recipients of the LSTAR Scholarship Award, which recognizes university or college-bound students who have demonstrated academic CO-CHAIR excellence, a high level of school and community involvement, maturity, Glen Gordon responsibility, initiative and strength of character. Eligible applicants must either be the children, grandchildren or under the legal guardianship of MEMBERS Members of the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® or Robert Andrighetti Members’ staff. Each award recipient receives a $1,500 bursary. Blair Campbell The 2020 LSTAR Student Scholarship Award recipients are: Rika Orendorff Blair Patton ● Jett Jarvis, son of LSTAR Member Scott Jarvis and Julie Jarvis. A Ken Payne graduate of Lambton Central Collegiate Vocational Institute, Jett is Robert Richards attending McGill University in the Desautels Faculty of Management, majoring in Economics and Accounting. Jett plans to go to law Ann Smith school upon completion of his undergraduate degree. Michelle Symons Jonathan Wiseman ● Shin Kurokawa, son of LSTAR Member Noriko Kurokawa and Yoshiro Kurokawa. A graduate of A.B. Lucas Secondary School, Shin is attending Wilfrid Laurier University in the School of Business Administration, with the goal of becoming an accountant.

STAFF LIAISON ● Katharine Radcliffe, daughter of LSTAR Member Deborah Radcliffe Claire Dawson and Vaughan Radcliffe. A graduate of Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School, Katharine is attending Western University in the Faculty of Science (Medical Sciences), with the goal of working in healthcare.

Annual General Review 2020

● Jiang (Bobby) Wu, son of LSTAR Member May Yu and Jin Wu. A graduate of A.B. Lucas Secondary School, Bobby is attending the University of Waterloo for his Bachelor of Mathematics, with the goal of becoming a Software Design Manager.

2020 Scholarship Recipients

A scholarship of $1,500 was given to a 2019 winner, who decided to take a year off before continuing to a post-secondary institution.

● Tyson George, son of LSTAR Member Angee George and Jody George. A graduate of Catholic Central High School, Tyson is attending the Real Estate Essentials Course at Humber College in Toronto, with the goal of becoming a Real Estate Agent.

35 Annual General Review 2020 SOCIAL COMMITTEES

CHAIR CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTY Adam Miller The mandate of the Children’s Christmas Party Committee is to plan and MEMBERS coordinate an annual holiday event for the children and grandchildren of LSTAR Members and their office staff. Angela Baker Theresa Kimmerly Due to COVID-19 and provincial restrictions on public gatherings, the Mirella Shreve in-person party was not held. LSTAR pivoted to hosting an online event Barb Whitney called the 2020 Santa Surprise. Blair Campbell (Ex-Officio) LSTAR invited families to purchase “surprise packages” consisting of a wrapped present, goody bag and personalized letter from Santa. STAFF LIAISON Members who purchased packages were eligible to be entered into Claire Dawson a special draw for some exciting prizes. The package also included a Bill Madder link for a virtual group visit with Santa, which was held the morning of Saturday, December 12.

Toy donations were accepted to benefit Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre, while all proceeds were in support of Investing In Children.

A huge “thank you” to our generous sponsors: Bolt Canada, Our Insurance Guy, Philon Restaurants Inc., Louise’s Home Staging, Zillow Group, Bank of Montreal, Juniper Dress Boutique, OREA, Refcio and Associates, and ShowingTime.

Annual General Review 2020

CHRISTMAS GALA CHAIR Betty Kallai The mandate of the Christmas Gala Committee is to organize LSTAR’s annual holiday celebration for Members. CO-CHAIR Due to COVID-19, the traditional in-person event at RBC Place was not Stacey Prieur possible in 2020. Instead, the LSTAR Gala Committee developed an online fundraising opportunity called the 2020 Suitcase Party. MEMBERS Members had the opportunity to purchase tickets over six weeks for a Marcia Beaton chance to win one of three exciting getaways and two early bird prizes. Morgan Bradnam Proceeds were in support of Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Shawna Bradshaw Centre, The Unity Project, and Violence Against Women, Services Elgin Alexis Day County. Kevin Dunklee Lindsay Gowan Thanks go out to our generous sponsors: Upstaging Limited, CREA, Sutton Group Preferred Realty, Teranet, Brochu and Associates, Michelle Orsini RE/MAX Centre City Realty, RMA, Hometown Brewing Co., Burning Lindsay Reid Kiln Winery, Lovebird Flowers, Club Hub, and Red Bird Media. Jenny Steward Austin Titus Angela Wilson Christina Winkler

STAFF LIAISONS Claire Dawson

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CHAIR SLO PITCH Barb Whitney LSTAR’s annual Slo-Pitch Tournament was cancelled in 2020, due to CO-CHAIR COVID-19. Instead, the LSTAR Slo-Pitch Committee pivoted to organize a virtual event, called “We’re in This Together”. Angela Wilson On July 10, 2020, the committee encouraged members to get out and MEMBERS participate in any physical activity, while raising funds for the London Jason Cheese Food Bank. Activities included walking, jogging, biking and weightlifting. Melody Gilmore Thank you to our generous sponsors: OREA, Sutton Group Pawlowski Vince Mitchell and Company, Lovebird Flowers, Collins Formal Wear, Club Hub, and Walter Raithby Red Bird Media. Andy Sheridan Yvonne Steer The tournament raised $4,700 toward the London Food Bank. Bryan VanAcker

STAFF LIAISON Claire Dawson

Annual General Review 2020 2020 SPONSORS

LSTAR hosts a number of special events throughout the year, many of which are fundraisers for charity. We owe our ability to serve our community in large part to the generosity of our sponsors. Accordingly, we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank our 2020 Sponsors and Business Partners for their continued support.

TITANIUM ($3,000+) ClubHub Red Bird Media

PLATINUM ($2,000+) Libro Credit Union Real Estate Lawyers Teranet Upstaging Limited

EMERALD ($1,500+) The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) CBRE Limited Colliers International London The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) Dancor Siskinds Supra Sutton Group Preferred Realty

GOLD ($1,000+) EllisDon Corporation

CRYSTAL ($750+) Louise’s Home Staging Re/Max Centre City Realty

SILVER ($500+) Brochu & Associates Our Insurance Guy Real Bolt Tours Royal LePage Triland Realty ShowingTime The Realty Firm, Team Purple Squirrel Best Western Plus Lamplighter Inn

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SILVER (CONTINUED) Collins Formal Wear East Elgin Concrete Forming Limited Jakupi Realty Magil Construction Ontario Inc. Pizza Hut RMA TRICAR

BRONZE ($250+) Sutton Group Pawlowski & Company Real Estate Coldwell Banker Power Realty Zillow Group

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2020 BUSINESS PARTNERS

The LSTAR Business Partners Program enables interested members of the business community to establish a formal affiliation with the Association. In order to become a Business Partner, an individual (who must not be registered to trade in real estate) or company must agree to act consistently with LSTAR’s mission statement and purposes, and pay an annual fee for membership of the Business Partners Program. The Association was pleased to share a formal affiliation with the following Business Partners in 2020.

1-800-GOT-JUNK? AGM Surveying & Engineering Dominion Lending Centres Forest City Funding Fanshawe College Homes & Land of London LBF Group Libro Credit Union Louise’s Home Staging Inc. Our Insurance Guy Real Estate Lawyers.ca LLP Robertson Hall Insurance Brokers Sheffield Moving & Storage Inc. The Ironstone Building Company The Storage Box Vantage Property Management Ltd.

41 Annual General Review 2020

SERVICE RECOGNITION 50 Years Laurence Simmons

45 Years Rebecca Carnegie Mary Dewar Ray Figueiredo Glen Gordon Stefanie Hayek Dennis Oliver Harry Tugender

40 Years John Campbell Angelo Di Lullo George Georgopoulos Hannah Lux John Thurman Joe Walker Steve Wiggett Anne Wolf

35 Years Jim Allen Doug Pedlar Murray Anderson Scott Purdy Vito Campanale Douglas Russell Cathy Curgin Steven Saker Steven Dausett Warren Shantz Barb Ginson John Simpson Alan Good Judith Siskind Dave Hutchison Richard Thyssen Jose Medeiros Carl Vandergoot Christine Panyi Anna Volekaert Lynn Pawlowski Jeff Wiebenga 42

Annual General Review 2020

30 Years

Kevin Barfett Michael Marienwald K. Ross Bentley James McFadden Cathy Brown Ron O’Brien Christine Crncich Maureen O’Halloran Danny Deprest Kenneth Poore Larry Guidolin Lorne Siefert King Lam Bill Vandeloo

25 Years

David Ferguson Barbara MacDougall Scott Gregory Lill Moore Anette Grue Pat O’Rourke Curtis Hay Shawn Parkinson Martese Houle Michael Rizzo Heather Loedige Claire Rolo Gerry J. Loeters

20 Years Elizabeth Antkowiak Geoff Knight Andrea Paula Callon Tim Komaromi James Chambers Terry McSpadden David Cousins Bob Morris Paul Desalaiz Richard Nichols Roger Guindon Brian Park Alex Gurchin Jay Parkinson Henry Hildebrandt Joey Read Michael Holmes Eavan Travers Michelle Kay Joellen Wright Mike King

Annual General Review 2020

15 Years Bob Andrighetti Debbie MacLeod Rosalynd Ayres Rob Mangano Laura Burberry Dale Marsh Jill Chapman Michael McClemont S.K. Choi Mike McDonald Karen Clarke Sherry McLay Brenda Creeden Richard Miller Donna Czach Alma Nikolic-Jelkic Sam Dabbagh Mike Pachucki Frank DeCicco Gord Prior Melanie Dobbie Joe Rinehart Angee George Brent Rudell Kathy Goode Rob Russell Curtis Green Monika Savel-Marias Tanya Hall Renate Sieber-Schlegel Nadia Halunga-Jorge Sam Singh Roman Kachmarsky Ken Small Tom Kahnert Susan Stephenson David Lee Matthew Tenk Michael Legg Sharon Von Behr

10 Years Samer Albirawi Jesse Clarke Edward Baxter Stacey Dale Sheri Beckett Ann De Bono Terry Beckett Peter Desjardins Patti Blackburn Christeen Forster Susan Bos Kris Gear Kimberly Broad Scott Gunn Greg Brophey Craig Hansford Laura Carapella Carrie Hart Jason Cheese Mary Heggtveit

Annual General Review 2020

10 Years (Continued) Gib Heggtveit Cheryl Queen Eric Heizer James Ralph Brad Hutchinson Bill Rashmawi Joanne Johnson Ben Reddekopp Karen Kimble Lindsay Reid Jameson Lake Lestari Rupert Glen Larocque Mike Sloan Matt Lobsinger Dean Soufan Terry-Ann Loney Dylan Sworik Dat Mai Robin Tiller Joanne Martin Michael L. Tkaczyk Cory McArthur Gregory Tsionis Sallie A McFarlane Andres Usma Loretta Morrison Marianne Van Bommel Terry Mullan Sarah Anne Vandervloet Devin Nadeau Heather Virtue Stephen Otto Volodymyr Vorobets Mark Pedlar Wan Li Wang Rich Pestowka Gary Wilde Ben Peters Julie Wolf

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